St. Cloud develops plan to lure air service; Chicago a likely destination

The new plan outlined by St. Cloud business leaders includes working with the Federal Aviation Administration to secure a gate at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. The point man for St. Cloud's new effort previously brought American Airlines service to Fargo. The plan calls for bringing an airline to St. Cloud by early 2013.

The new plan outlined by St. Cloud business leaders includes working with the Federal Aviation Administration to secure a gate at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. The point man for St. Cloud's new effort previously brought American Airlines service to Fargo. The plan calls for bringing an airline to St. Cloud by early 2013.

St. Cloud officials are expected to officially announce new flights to the Phoenix/Mesa area in Arizona on Thursday, the St. Cloud Times reports. The Greater St. Cloud Development Corp. has been trying to lure a new airline to the Central Minnesota airport for more than a year. Al Kremers, chairman of the GSDC Air Service Corps. tells the newspaper, “It’s not Chicago, but we were looking for business and leisure travel carriers to come in and out of St. Cloud and this is a step in that direction."

The Atlanta-based airline says the Twin Cities is a key part of its operations. Delta's senior vice president of Minnesota operations told the Star Tribune the airline is investing more than $3 million in new equipment at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Delta already employs 12,000 people in Minnesota and plans to add 400 positions in June.

The regional carrier will begin offering non-stop flights from the Central Minnesota airport to Phoenix/Mesa Gateway Airport in December, according to the St. Cloud Times. The newspaper notes the St. Cloud airport has not had commercial air service since December 2009 when Delta stopped its regional flights to the Twin Cities.